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Letter: Progressives in for the long haul

We pragmatic progressives are in this for the long haul. Building on our state's and country's progressive experience, we remind ourselves and others: the arc of practical progressive morality is long, but it bends toward justice.

Progressive morality drives us to vote as keepers of our brothers and sisters, and as peaceable compromisers for the common good. We vote to use the tools of government to spur job creation, to free media from ideological domination, and to protect people and small businesses from unregulated enterprises and banks too big to fail.

We vote for government wise enough to borrow during wartime, if it must, in order to preserve and extend the nation's health and infrastructure. Both have been neglected too long even though national security depends also on them. Moreover, failure to fund health and infrastructure now would lead to greater costs for future generations.

In agreement with Teddy Roosevelt we maintain: "the welfare of each of us depends on the welfare of all of us." We support workable constructive uses of government to serve the needs of the nation entire rather than the greed of the wealthiest 2 percent among us. A state or federal budget balanced on the backs of our poorest is unacceptable. So is a budget never balanced in postwar years.

"The problem" is not government, but candidates for office who attack government. Would you hire someone who attacks your business, or who defames your family? Neither would we vote for a candidate who attacks, denigrates, and withholds funds from our government - local, state, or federal.

Minnesota's progressive DFL candidates such as Brita Sailer, Meg Bye, Mary Olson, Rod Skoe, Jim Oberstar, and Mark Dayton will make the most constructive use of their elected positions to serve the common good.

This "off-year" election could hardly be more consequential. On Nov 2 and for years to come we vote to keep progressive morality a stalwart pillar of the nation's security and influence in world affairs.